IBM Selects Five Brazilian Startup Companies to Help Build Smarter Cities

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 9, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Following a preliminary round of selections across eight Brazilian cities, IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced the finalists for its SmartCamp in Brazil. IBM's SmartCamp, scheduled for November 10th and 11th, brings startups together with senior government and business leaders from Latin America's most progressive cities to mentor them and examine how we can spur economic development, modernize infrastructures and transform our cities to create a new urban model.

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The five finalists have developed technology solutions that address some of the world's most pressing issues – such as traffic, healthcare and food safety. The SmartCamp in Brazil is the most recent of nine global SmartCamps this year. The winner will be invited to the next SmartCamp World Finals to square off against other winners from around the globe to claim the title of "IBM Global Entrepreneur of the Year."

The event will be webcast at www.livestream.com/ibmsoftware. Follow the action on People for a Smarter Planet on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/9S1Jp8, and share your thoughts on Twitter at #IBMSmartCamp.

With a focus on accelerating the development of solutions that exploit the vast amount of information already available across cities to deliver better citizen services, IBM SmartCamp provides mentorship to early stage start-ups and facilitates access to venture capital companies.

IDC Government Insights estimates the new Smarter Cities information technology market opportunity at $34 billion in 2011, increasing more than 18 percent per year to $57 billion by 2014.

"Helping cities address their biggest challenges requires rapid innovation and an in depth understanding of multiple industries and the latest technology," said Jim Corgel, general manager, Developer Relations, IBM. "We believe entrepreneurs will play a critical role in addressing the needs of cities around the world. That is why we are working closely with startups to push the limits of innovation and get their products to market faster by providing coaching and connections to IBM clients and partners."

IBM SmartCamp Brazil is being held in conjunction with the IBM Venture Capital Symposium. The events will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, representatives from universities and IBM executives, who will discuss business opportunities for companies that develop solutions that contribute to the daily life of cities and the country's development.

Brazil is a key growth market for IBM. The expansion of IBM's Global Entrepreneur initiative into Brazil earlier this year,  is part of IBM's ongoing efforts to engage with entrepreneurs in key emerging markets, such as Brazil, India, China and Turkey. Collaborating with entrepreneurs helps fuel global innovation and growth and plays a role in IBM's ability to deliver value to clients.

Meet the Finalists

Easy Taxi: With Easy Taxi's mobile transportation solution people can call a taxi with a click on their smartphone. The application locates and calls the nearest taxi, calculates the fare and processes the payment online.. This solutions saves time, reduces security concerns for passengers, helps generate additional revenue for drivers and  reduces fuel and greenhouse gas emissions.

IDXP: IDXP's consumer behavior solution installs sensors in stores and shopping carts to help retailers understand consumer behavior in real time. For example, the sensors can identify the areas of the store that receive the most traffic and the displays where people spend the most time.  This type of analysis helps retailers measure the effectiveness of promotions and merchandising displays, helping to improve sales and the overall shopping experience for consumers.

Mobwise: Mobwise's mobile application combines various sources of information on traffic conditions including real time data generated by users. It suggests the best route to a destination and offers rewards such as discounts at partner establishments for users who contribute to the application.

Opara: Opara's food traceability system for fruit monitors the entire production chain, from farm to supermarket shelf.  Operated by smartphones, tablets and computers, the system allows more flexibility and reliability throughout the sale process, for the producer, trader and the buyer. By removing the need to monitor the production process manually, Opara is reducing delays and waste and helping producers quickly identify a product's origins in the event of a food born illness.

Prime Health: Prime Health uses business analytics to help improve patient health and reduce the cost of treating chronic diseases. The system analyzes patient profiles and identifies the potential risk people have of developing certain chronic diseases. Based on predictive analysis, healthcare professionals can provide patients with preventive treatments and monitoring to prevent the occurrence or further development of the disease.

The winner of IBM SmartCamp Brazil will be announced on November 11 in Rio de Janeiro.

People can vote for their favorite SmartCamp Rio finalist at www.asmarterplanet.com.

For more information on the Global Entrepreneur Program from IBM, please visit: http://www-304.ibm.com/isv/startup. For more information about IBM Venture Capital Group, visit: http://www-304.ibm.com/businesscenter/venturedevelopment/us/en/.

For more information for media, please visit www.ibm.com/press/smartercities.

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Media Contact:
Tim Willeford
IBM Media Relations
914-766-1107
[email protected]

SOURCE IBM